Paper-clip.



PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904.

W. H. REDINGTON.

PAPER CLIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

Patented December 6, 1904.

PAPER-CLIP. V

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,549, dated December6, 1904.

Application filed March 3, 1904. Serial No. 196,267. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. REDINGTON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement inPaper-Clips, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to paper-clips.

The object of the invention is to produce a paper-clip out of a singlepiece of spring metal and having clamping parts or surfaces and meansfor separating the same or spreading them apart.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide aspring paper-clipwhich is simple in construction, economical in manufacture, andeflicient in operation.

The invention consists, substantially, in the construction, combination,location, and relative arrangement, all as will be more fullyhereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawings, andfinally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and to the various views andreference-signs appearing thereon, Figure 1 is'a View showing a blankfrom which a clip embodying the principles of my invention is made. Fig.2 is a view showing the blank after it is punched out to form thetongues. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the completed clip. Fig. 4is an edge view of the same. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views similar to Fig.2, showing slight modifications embraced within the spirit and scope ofmy invention. Fig. 8 is a View in perspective of a completed clip formedfrom the blank shown in Fig. 5.

In carrying out my invention a strip of thin resilient material, ofwhich metal would be the preferable material, (indicated at A, Fig. 1,)of suitable length, width, and thickness, according to the requirementsof the clip to be produced, with regard to size, strength, rigidity, andresiliency, is cut or slit in lines extending in the general directionof the length of the strip and arranged at a proper distance apart.These slits are preferably of equal length, as shown in the drawings,and preferably extend equal, distances on opposite sides of a transversemedial line D of the strip.

They should be at such a distance apart as to leave a proper Width ofmetal to serve as a handle, as will be hereinafter described. The stripor body portion A of the metal may be slit or out transversely of thelength of the strip on a line extending through the longitudinal slits BC, as indicated at E. In practice I prefer to form the transverse slitor cut in the form of elongated capital letter I, as shown, therebyeffecting a removal of a portion of the body portion along a transverseline; but it will be obvious that the form of this transverse out orslit may be varied. In the particular illustrations of my inventionshown in the drawings the transverse slit or cut E intersectslongitudinal slits or cuts B (J at or about midway the lengths thereof,and thus there is metal enough left between the slits and the outer edgeof the strip to form a resilient hinge When the metal is bent, and atthe same time the metal intermediate of the longitudinally extendingslits projects rearwardly in the opposite direction from thegrasping-arms of the clip andbeyond the axial point of the resilienthinge or bend, thereby producing handles for opening the clip. The slitsor cuts B, (J, and E may all be formed simultaneously or each formedseparately, as is obvious to any skilled metal worker this dependingupon the particular form of the die or dies used.

I have referred to the lines of slits or cuts B C as extending in thedirection of the length of the strip of metal and on opposite sides of atransverse line upon which the strip is to be bent to form a hinge, andthis I have found in practice to be a desirable form of construction forthe clip; but it is obvious that it is not the absolutely necessaryform, for the principle of the invention, as will be hereinafter setforth in the claims, resides in forming a clip of resilient material inwhich the projecting clamping-arms, the hinge, and the integral handlesfor operating the clamp are all formed integrally from the same blank,and this idea may be carried out in the preferred manner shown or inmany other forms which will readily occur to any one skilled in thisart.

The blank of the desired length may be severed from a strip of metal atthe same time or after the slits or cuts are formed therein, and it istherefore evident that it is not necessary to first sever the portion Ato form the blank of the desired length before the slits are madetherein.

The blank of resilient material is, as above suggested, bent or foldedupon itself intermediate its ends with such a proper curve as to form asuitable resilient hinge and cause the ends projecting forward of suchhinge to spring together and act as clamps, while theoppositely-projecting ends extend beyond the axial line of this hingeand serve as handles, so that when these handles are grasped between thethumb and forefinger they afford means for opening the jaws or clamps toreceive the paper or other article to be clamped therebetween. It isevident that the curved or bent portion of the resilient material whichforms the resilient hinge puts a stress or tension upon itsforwardly-projecting clamping ends and that this tension or stress islightened or relieved according to the pressure applied upon theprojecting ends forming the handles. In the form shown in the drawingsthe clamping ends are shown in Fig. 3 as H J and theoppositely-projecting ends serving as handles as G and F. If theseoppositely-projecting ends of tongues G F are bent away from each other,so as to diverge, it will afford opportunity for wider range of movementof the aws.

It will be seen that the clamping jaws or portions H J of the blank Amay have their forward edges shaped in many different ways to increasethe clamping action thereby exerted. In Figs. 5 and 8 the ends of theclamping-jaws H'J may be provided with lips or projections M at thecorners thereof, which may be in the plane of the strip, as shown inFig. 5, or bent inwardly toward each other, as shown in Fig. 8, to gripthe paper or other article to which the clip is to be applied. Similarlyand as shown in Fig. 6 one end of the blank may be cut out, as indicatedat N, and the other is provided with a corresponding extension or tongue0, arranged to fit into or over the cut-out portion N when the clip isin operative position. If desired, one end of the blank may be providedwith a series of projections or serrations of regular or irregular form,and in Fig. 7 these projections are shown atP and Q on respective endsas breaking joint with each otherthat is to say, with the projections ofone end adapted to rest over the spaces between the projections at theother end.

From the foregoing description it is evident that the invention issusceptible of wide variation in its details without departing from thespirit of the same, and therefore What I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In a clip, a body portion comprising a single piece of flat springmetal bent or doubled upon itself to form clamping-jaws, and havingtongues formed in the fiat body portion and deflected laterally from theplane thereof at the bend to afford means for opening said jaws.

2. A clip formed from a single strip of resilient sheet material bentupon itself intermediate its ends to form a hinge, the free ends of thestrip being brought together forward of the axial line of this hinge toserve as clampingjaws, said strip having integral tongues extendingoppositely and rearwardly of the axial line of said hinge to serve ashandles for operating such clip; substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

3. A clip formed from a single piece of fiat spring metal bent or foldedupon itself on a transverseline intermediate its ends, whereby said endsare brought together into clamping relation, and integral tongues.formed in the body portion of the piece of flat spring metal andprojecting laterally from the plane thereof ata point adjacent the bendto afford means for separating said clamping ends, as and for thepurpose set forth.

4. In a clip, a body portion comprising a single thin flat piece ofspring metal bent or cloubled upon itself at the transverse medial linethereof to bring the end portions thereof into clamping relation, saidflat piece of metal having integral diverging tongues formed therein andextending away from the end portions at the bend to afford means forseparating said end portions, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A paper-clip formed from a single strip of spring metal, said striphaving longitudinal parallel slits formed therethrough, and a transverseintersecting slit, whereby when said strip is bent or doubled uponitself along the line of said transverse slit the ends thereof arebrought into clamping relation and the slits form tongues to affordmeans for separating said clamping ends, as and for the purpose setforth.

6. A paper-clip comprising astrip of spring metal bent upon itselfintermediate its ends, whereby said ends form clamping-jaws with anintegral connecting portion formed to exert a spring-pressure upon saidjaws to yieldingly hold the same in clamping relation, and divergingtongues formed in said strip adjacent said connecting portion andintegral, respectively, with said clamping-jaws, to afiord means forseparating the same against the spring action of said connectingportion, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. A paper-clip comprising astrip of spring metal bent upon itselfintermediate its ends, whereby said ends form clamping-jaws operating toexert a gripping action upon each other, said strip having an integralconnecting portion at the bend thereof formed to exert a spring-pressureupon said jaws to yieldingly hold the same in clamping relation, and Vdiverging tongues formed in said strip adjacent said connecting portionand integral, respectively, with said clamping-jaws, to afford means foropening said jaws, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In aclip, a body portion comprising a single thin flat piece ofspring metal bent or doubled upon itself to form clamping-jaws, saidjaws provided at the extremities thereof with means for increasing thegripping action thereof, said thin flat body portion having integraldivergent tongues formed therein adjacent the bend to afford means foropening said jaws, as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a clip, a body portion formed of a sin-

